Air March 5, 2003

Thank you Gary, and good morning everyone. Just a quick reminder that the 90th Annual K-State Cattleman's Day is this Friday. Remember that you have to go on campus to Weber Hall and Weber Arena. Parking is always a challenge on campus so you might want to allow yourself a little extra time if you are going. Registration and exhibits start at 8 AM, the morning presented program starts at 10 AM. Call me if you need more details.

Well, it's March. Spring is officially just 15 days away. With spring we will usually see mosquitoes before too long. And with some precipitation during the winter, and hopefully more yet to come, we could easily see more mosquitoes than last year. Last year brought West Nile Virus to Kansas. It wasn't a surprise to most people that the rapidly moving virus made it's way not only to Kansas, but clear to the West Coast. For the next several years we are liable to see quite a bit of it while all the creatures start to get acclimated to it and then we'd expect it to drop down to a much lower level in the environment. But only time will tell. Humans, birds and horses seem to be the most affected by West Nile Virus. Other domestic livestock and pets seem to be rarely effected by the virus. Humans are actually at a far lower risk than many bird species and unvaccinated horses. There is a vaccine that appears to do a pretty good job of protecting horses against West Nile Virus IF it is given on time. The important thing to remember is to visit with your veterinarian about your horses and West Nile Virus. If you vaccinated last year do you need to vaccinate this year? Are two shots enough, or should you go with three? The best opinion at this point is this: If your horse had two shots last year, then one shot this year should give you good protection. If your horse had no shots or only one shot last year, then you probably need to do the two shot regime this year. There is some indication that older horses and horses under heavy stress may need three shots, but talk to your vet on those special cases. The bottom line is that for the next couple years we are going to see a lot of press on west nile and probably a lot of west nile virus. Vaccinate your horses, protect yourself from mosquito bites and we'll all learn a lot more about this disease in the next couple of years!

This is Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent, with Ag Outlook 2003.

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